The weather has been beautiful lately, and that means dinner most nights is cooked out on the grill and eaten on our back porch. I just love it! I have been trying my hardest to get the hang of this whole grilling thing and I have been doing quite well, if I do say so myself. It helps when the recipe I am cooking is super simple and only requires one flip…now that I can master. These Turkey Burgers with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Feta are the perfect dinner for a hot Summer evening with my family.

My sister Laura made these burgers for the first time a few years ago and we have been hooked on them ever since. These burgers are a favorite for many reasons. One, they are very simple to make. Two, they grill up in no time. Three, they look beautiful. Just look at all of the colorful ingredients that go into them: Italian parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta cheese. Four, and most importantly, they taste amazing!

These Turkey Burgers are perfect for a hot Summer evening because they aren’t heavy like a traditional beef burger. Now I love me some beef burgers, but this turkey burger and all its sun-dried tomato and feta cheese goodness is just what I need sometimes. They have so much flavor and pair wonderfully with a cooling Tzatziki sauce and peppery arugula.

If you are looking for a delicious burger that can lighten things up this Summer, this one is for you. Happy grilling!

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Be careful not to overmix. Form the mixture into 6 even patties.

Reduce the grill heat to medium and lightly grease the grill. Place the burgers on the grill and cook for 6 minutes per side, closing the grill in between flipping the burgers. You may need less time depending on your grill. Just keep an eye on them so they don't over cook.

I’m a little rhubarb crazy lately, can you tell? I’m not if sure if it’s the leftover excitement from the Rhubarb Festival or if it’s that rhubarb feels like my new best friend. How many times have I passed by rhubarb at the store or farmer’s market and thought, “It’s so pretty, but I have no clue what to do with it”, and kept on walking? Shameful. Never again. From here on out, when rhubarb is in season, I am going to put it into anything and everything I can.

When I told my Grandmother I was going to be a judge at the Rhubarb Festival, she surprised me by saying that Rhubarb Pie was her favorite. How did I not know this? So I knew I better not come home from Lancaster County without some fresh rhubarb in tow to bake my Grandma a pie!

At the festival, I picked up some beautiful local rhubarb and a pamphlet that has all sorts of fun rhubarb facts, as well as previous baking contest winning recipes! I chose to make the Rhubarb Custard Crumb Pie by Belinda Myers. She won many awards in the baking competition this year, so I knew this pie had to be good!

For as wonderful as this pie is, it’s very easy to put together. First, it’s pie crust time. This pie didn’t come with a specific crust recipe, so I used a very simple crust that I have been loving lately. Once the dough is placed into the pie plate and made pretty (my pie beautification skills still need work) it’s on to the custard. In the bowl of an electric mixer, you will combine: sugar, flour, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. It whips on medium high for a few minutes until light and creamy. A little bit of the custard filling goes on the bottom of the pie crust, followed by the diced rhubarb, and the rest of that glorious custard. After baking for about 45 minutes, or until the center is almost set, the pie gets topped with a buttery sweet crumble and put back in the oven to get nice and golden brown.

This Rhubarb Custard Crumb Pie is what rhubarb dreams about while growing in the fields. It is exactly where rhubarb wants to be……nestled between a sweet, creamy custard and a buttery, crunchy crumble. This pie is slightly tart, creamy, and crunchy all in one. After taking one bite of this pie, it was no surprise that this recipe won the 2007 Rhubarb Baking Contest. Enjoy!

For the pie crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until it's in pea sized pieces.

Sprinkle on one tablespoon of the water at a time, tossing with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side and continue this until all the flour is moistened and a dough forms. Do not overmix.

Form into a ball and roll out on a slightly floured surface. Turn and flour dough a few times, rolling out until its the size you need. Place dough in 9inch pie plate and flute the edges.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For the filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar, flour, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on medium high speed for a few minutes until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Pour 2/3 cup of the custard into the prepared pie shell. Place the rhubarb in the pie crust and top with the remaining custard. Bake for 30 minutes. Check on the pie and if the edges are getting too dark tent with foil and bake until the center is almost set. Another 13-15 minutes. While the pie is in the oven make the crumble.

For the crumble: In a medium bowl combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter. Cut with a pastry blender until crumbles form. Mix in the chopped nuts and coconut.

Pull the pie out of the oven and top with the crumble. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the center of the pie is set.

It’s rhubarb season guys! Yes, rhubarb is plentiful, fresh, and ready to be included into lots of glorious dishes. I especially love rhubarb in desserts, maybe paired with strawberries, or in jams and jellies. I am a pro at eating rhubarb but I have only actually made one dish with it years ago. It’s about time I get to baking and tasting, because ……. (drum roll please) …….. I have been asked to be a judge at the Rhubarb Festival at Kitchen Kettle Village in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They have been holding this festival for over 30 years! Every year people bake their most loved rhubarb desserts and bring them to the “Best Rhubarb Dessert in Lancaster County” baking competition. That’s where I come in. I will be judging one category and then helping other judges choose an overall grand champion. Let me tell you, my taste buds and I could not be more excited!

To prepare myself (and those taste buds), I went to the store and bought almost all the rhubarb they had. I came home and got straight to work baking up a storm. I made Almond Rhubarb Tea Cakes, Rhubarb Raspberry Scones, and this delicious Cinnamon Rhubarb Bread.

Rhubarb has a wonderful tart flavor that makes it perfect in desserts because it can easily be balanced out by adding some sweetness. That is why you will often see it paired with strawberries or made into a jam. I also love it’s beautiful bright pink/red color. That’s just awesome!

This Cinnamon Rhubarb Bread doesn’t require much work and really lets the rhubarb shine. This is a quick bread, so everything gets mixed in one bowl, which is another bonus because who doesn’t love minimal cleanup!?

While baking, the rhubarb releases juices which help this bread stay moist. When you take a bite, the tartness of the rhubarb really comes through but isn’t overpowering when paired with the brown sugar and cinnamon batter. It was just meant to be!

All last week I had been hearing about this big snow storm that was headed our way. My town was supposed to get 10-16 inches, or so they said. Well once again I woke up to hardly any snow :(. I think we had maybe 4 inches. Not cool! I was ready for the big one. I went to the grocery store and hoarded toilet paper and milk, just like you are supposed to. I was even interviewed by a news crew at the store doing a story on people preparing. Which, by the way, I think is really silly. I don’t know about you, but I buy toilet paper every week, not just when it snows! With the lack of snow this Winter has given us, it was nice to have a day “stuck” inside, watching the snow fall. It wouldn’t feel like a snow day without a comforting meal going in the crockpot. That called for….Chicken N Dumplings.

I watch YouTube videos quite often, and one of the people I follow is Rachel Hollis. I came across her videos one day and have been a fan of hers ever since. Soon after I learned about her, she came out with a cookbook called “Upscale Downhome”. I just had to get it! My sister got it for me for a birthday present and I have been happily trying out many recipes. I haven’t been disappointed with one yet! One that I am totally in love with is the Chicken N Dumplings.

Since the slow cooker does all the work for this Chicken N Dumplings, it is the perfect comforting weeknight meal. The hardest thing you will have to do is pull apart a already cooked rotisserie chicken that you bought at the store. You don’t even have to sauté the vegetables first. Just throw everything in, turn it on low, set the timer for 6-8 hours, and you are good to go. Thirty minutes before serving, you drop your biscuit dough on top. The dough will puff up as it cooks, turning into the perfect vehicle to soak up all of that creamy goodness.

Another plus to making this is I get to use the chicken carcass to make homemade chicken stock! Yes!

When it’s all said and done, you won’t believe how thick and creamy this turns out. Crispy bacon on top really adds something special and chives bring some freshness.

I love recipes like this where I can toss all the ingredients in the crockpot in the morning and enjoy an amazing home cooked meal that night, with minimal effort. Thank you Rachel Hollis for this amazing recipe!

Combine all of the ingredients except for the baking mix, milk, bacon, and chives in the bowl of your crockpot.

Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, combine the baking mix and milk in a large bowl. Drop the dough by the spoonful in the crockpot. Cook until the dough is cooked all the way through. This should take about 30 minutes. Serve with bacon and chives on top.

Notes

Source: Upscale Downhome by Rachel Hollis

I recommend cooking it on low for a longer amount of time. This really allows the flavors to marry and vegetables to get tender. But if you are in a hurry, you can the cook on high method.

Banana Bread. There are so many variations on banana bread and I love them all. You know I am always trying new recipes, so this traditional bread is constantly undergoing some sort of tweaking in my kitchen. Once again, and not by accident, I found myself with tons of overly ripe bananas. Yay! I thought about making my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread but then I remembered a recipe for Banana Oat Bread I had tried a while back and loved. So here it is, the beautiful and delicious Banana Oat Bread.

One of the things that sets this banana bread apart from all the rest is it’s texture. It is packed with rolled oats and walnuts, which gives it some added crunch. In every bite you can taste a little hint of cinnamon that brings everything together.

There is quite the snow storm headed our way tonight, so I am glad I have a loaf of this bread to munch on while watching the snow fall. I also have a few delicious soups in my meal plan that I can’t wait to make!

Hi, I'm Emily! Thanks for visiting my blog. I am a lover of all things edible and love being adventurous in the kitchen. I hope you will stay awhile and check out some delicious recipes and tasty places you are sure to love.